Rokusuke Ei, who wrote the lyrics to the global hit “Sukiyaki” (“Ue o Muite Aruko”), passed away from pneumonia at his home on Thursday. He was 83. Born in Tokyo in 1933 and a graduate of Waseda University, Ei began his career as a ...

Rare 1963 video footage of singer Kyu Sakamoto, known outside Japan for his U.S. hit song “Sukiyaki,” is to be released on DVD in April. The rare footage was taken during the singer’s trip to the United States in 1963, when the song, whose ...

Elegance, refinement, exclusivity: These are qualities only to be expected at any high-end Japanese restaurant. Affordability? Think again. Or, rather, think different. That’s the way to approach Yoshihashi. One of Tokyo’s most elegant and traditional sukiyaki houses, Yoshihashi is also one of its least ...

On one side of the battered shōji screen with its panels of flimsy washi paper, the sleet and biting wind. On the other, a small old-fashioned hibachi brazier, its coals glowing softly. There’s no contest: At Botan, the charcoal wins every time. But that ...